My World
by kissmekent
Summary: Based partially on the 1990s comic plots after 'the Death of Superman,' While the world thinks that he's dead, Superman/Clark Kent's body has been taken and placed in a Kryptonian Hibernation Chamber by his father's AI program to allow him to heal. Meanwhile Lois Lane discovers that she is Pregnant.
1. Epilogue: The Death of Superman

_**My World**_

A/N: I am using plot details from the 1990s comic plotline, which is similar to the movie where Superman is killed by Doomsday in the process of defeating him. The ideas in the story below are a combination of the comic books and my own imagination.

 _Epilogue: The Death of Superman_

Superman was dead. By any human measure, he was dead. The Kryptonian technology that had been exposed to Jor-El's AI program triggered the moment Kal-El's pulse stopped. Their primary function was to ensure the survival of the last son of Krypton.

They could tell that while he seemed dead, Kal-El's body entered into a hibernation state in which to heal. The two weeks after the battle with Doomsday, the AI watched from a distance as two funerals happened. One in metropolis where a crowd of strangers buried an empty box, and one in Smallville, where the body of Clark Kent was buried with hundreds of friends, family members and neighbors.

The AI calculated the best way to help Kal-El recover. The body must be moved to the Kryptonian facility in the Arctic. Once there, the body should be placed in the hibernation chamber. The AI calculated that Kal-El should be recovered from his injuries if he were to spend 4 months in the hibernation chamber.

The AI watched as the human known as Lois Lane alone remained beside the grave that contained Kal-El. When she turned to walk away, the AI used the window to enter and take the body in a flash, too quick for any human eye to see.

* * *

 _A Month Later_

Lois Lane was back at the planet. She had spent a week with Martha Kent, and then had tried to come back to work, but kept chickening out as she couldn't face Clark's empty desk. But she couldn't take any more sick time, and found herself back here. She looked down at her hand, and saw the diamond engagement ring. The ring that Clark never had the chance to place on her finger.

After a morning of working on a small time story that Perry had assigned to her, to allow her to 'Warm Up,' or at least, that's what Perry said, she went into the break room. When she walked into the room, she got a whiff of someone's lunch, and any hunger that she had experience went away and was replaced by a surge of nausea.

That night, she was back in their apartment. She opened her computer, and looked at her calendar. She wasn't one to keep track of her period, but when she looked at the calendar, she realized that she hadn't had her period since before she returned from the middle east.

Lois's brain froze, realizing the possibility that she could be pregnant. She and Clark had never spoke about children, other than the fact that they didn't know if it was even possible for them. Because of this, Lois and Clark never bothered with birth control.

But apparently it was. "Oh Clark," Lois said to herself, "Could it be true, can I be having your baby?"

Two days later, Lois had finally broken down and bought an at home pregnancy test. She paced back and forth during the entire three minutes that the instructions told her to wait. When the timer dinged she jumped. And turned, slowly, almost afraid to look. She wasn't sure if she was scared that it might be positive, or that it may be negative.

"Come on Lois, you've faced armed gunman, you can handle a simple home pregnancy test." With a large intake of breath, she picked up the test, and looked down, to see a plus size. "It's positive…" Lois said in a whisper. "I'm Pregnant!"

TBC…


	2. Chapter 1: Heartbeat

Chapter 1: Heartbeat

Lois paced in the waiting room of her Ob-gyn. The at home pregnancy test may have been positive, but before she told anyone, she had to be sure. She looked down at her hand, and saw herself fiddling with Clark's ring again. "Lois Lane?" The nurse said from the door.

"That's me."

Lois followed the nurse to the exam room, "What is your visit today for?"

"I took an at-home pregnancy test and it was positive. I just wanted to be sure."

"Was this a planned pregnancy?"

"No, but it's definitely a wanted pregnancy."

The nurse smiled, "A happy accident then, good to hear. Let me take some blood, and we can check your bloodwork." The nurse turned for the supplies needed to draw blood from Lois's arm. "When was your last period?"

"Two months ago. At first I completely lost track of the time last month with everything that was happening with Superman and the congressional hearings."

"Stress can cause a missed period. Two missed periods are less common. I will send your bloodwork out, it's near the end of the day, so I should have results tomorrow."

Lois nodded, "You can give these results over the phone?"

The nurse nodded, "Yes we can. I can also do a short exam to confirm today that you are pregnant."

Lois smiled, "That would be great."

10 minutes later, Lois was on the exam table, with her feet in the stirrups. She closed her eyes, praying that everything would look normal. She once asked Clark if he looked the same internally. Clark said that he had a similar skeletal system and organs, but he wasn't sure beyond that. Lois was mostly positive that unless they did an amnio, they wouldn't check the baby's DNA, as there was no reason to.

The nurse entered the Ultrasound Transducer. Lois kept her eye on the screen, praying. "Is it there?"

The nurse smiled, as Lois heard on the speakers, the heartbeat, "It's there, and it's strong. Congratulations, you a mom!"

Lois smiled, "I'm a mom!"

* * *

Clark opened his eyes. He was used to hearing Lois's heartbeat, no matter where in the world they were. They could be on opposite sides of the globe, and he could still find her heartbeat. But now, it was different, there was a second heartbeat, softer, faster, but there. He floated in suspended animation, he couldn't move or speak, or really see, as he was being healed, but he could hear.

The AI machine had explained to him about his condition, and how it would take time for his giant wound to heal. Clark had not complained, he couldn't but now he wanted out. He knew what the second heartbeat meant, and he had to be there for Lois. Had to tell her that he wasn't really dead, that their child still had a father, but he couldn't move, as he was frozen in the gel like liquid that was making him better.

The AI came up to him, sensing his frustration, "Never fear Kal-El, son of Jor-El. You are fine. In three months you will be well enough to leave here. In the meantime, you need to sleep to heal." Clark watched as the AI came up to his prison and pressed a button, adding a sedative to the mix, and everything went dark.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 2 - Sedated

Chapter 2 - Sedated

Lois Lane had gotten all of the instructions from her doctor, including prescriptions for prenatal vitamins. She couldn't stop smiling and touching her stomach. She was pregnant!

Then the freak out started. _I'm Pregnant! How can I be a Mother! I have no idea on how to be a mother!_

She walked into the office, her mind was still spinning, when she bumped into Perry.

"Are you alright?" Perry asked. "You look distracted."

"Can we talk in your office?" Lois asked. She knew that she needed to tell someone, and if she told anyone, word would eventually get back to Perry.

"Of course."

When the door was closed, she blurted it out, "I'm pregnant."

Perry looked up, "Well, that's a pleasant surprise. It's Kent's I assume."

Lois smiled, "It is. Clark would have made such a great father."

"Yes, he would have. When are you going to Smallville?"

"You know me so well," Lois said. "I was planning on flying there tonight, it's Friday, so I can take the weekend."

Perry looked at the clock, "It's noon, why don't you take off now, I'm sure you can find a seat on the commuter flight to Smallville this afternoon."

Lois left Perry's office, on the phone with the airline that had direct commuter flights close to Smallville. An hour later she was on the plane. Lois was pregnant with her dead lover's child. She had to tell Martha. At least her child would have one good grandparent. Unlike her parents, a workaholic career military man and an alcoholic control freak. The trip to Smallville was a blur, as she thought about telling Martha, and imagining what Clark would have said if he had been alive to experience them having a child together. He would have been over the moon!

The AI system taking care of Kal El, son of Jor El noticed that the pulse rate had increased in the past few days. Ever since his super hearing had come back, his vitals had come close to normal, it was an anomaly as far as the AI was concerned. The super hearing shouldn't have come back for a month at least. Something triggered Kal El to force past normal physical limitations.

He was forced to give Kal El sedatives to keep him from injuring himself. Kal El was fighting his restrains. There was something out there that he would get to, if he died in the process. At the rate that the sedatives were wearing off, he would have to bring Kal El out of the healing tank sooner than he had planned.

When Lois finally got a rental at the airport, and made it to the Kent farm in Smallville, she found the house empty. Martha must still have been at work.

She decided to go and visit Clark, tell him about their child. Lois took in the autumn leaves and the bright brisk air as she made her way to the grave sites. She took in the names, teared up as she came up to the graves marked for father and son, Jonathan and Clark Kent. "Hi Clark," She said, leaning down onto her knees, sitting on the ground next to the grave market, which said _Clark Jerome Kent_. Lois caressed the name on the gravestone as if she was caressing the cheek of the man that she loved more than life itself. "I have some good news. You are going to be a father…"

Clark broke through the sedatives that he had been given, as a familiar voice came to him out of the ether, _"You are going to be a father. I just found out this morning, that I am pregnant. Your mom gave me the ring that you were going to give me. I have worn it ever since. You know that I would have said yes in an instant."_

Clark knew that he couldn't stay here anymore. He had to get to Lois, had to be there for him, for his child.

The AI knew the moment that Kal-El's conduct changed. He couldn't keep him in there. And if Kal-El left the healing shell now, he would not survive. The AI entered a demand in the system. To get Lois Lane and bring her in. She was the only one who could calm Kal-El down and ensure his survival.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 3 - Hope

Chapter 3 - Hope

When Martha Kent returned home from work, she found Lois sitting at Clark's grave. Martha grieved her son, but she knew that her pain was different than Lois's. When Martha had lost Jonathan, they had had 30 years together, while Lois mourned, not just the man that she loved, but a future together taken before they had the chance to live it.

When Lois came to the house, Martha had tea steeping. Lois smiled, "That smells good, what kind is that?"

"Peppermint."

"Oh, perfect." Lois sat down across from Martha. When they had their cups of tea, Lois looked up at Martha. "I am here about something happy for once, I just found out that I am pregnant with Clark's child."

Martha nearly dropped her cut at the abrupt announcement. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I went to a doctor today, they confirmed with a blood test and ultrasound."

Martha smiled, reaching across the table to squeeze Lois's hand. "I am so happy for you, and Clark would have been over the moon, he would have made such a wonderful father."

Lois nodded, "Yes, he would have. And this child will have a wonderful Grandmother." She looked at Martha and smiled.

Their moment of happiness was interrupted, when a strange Kryptonian robot that Lois remembered from the Ancient Kryptonian ship in the arctic. "Lois Lane?" The robot asked.

"Yes."

"You are required at the Fortress of Kal El, son or Jor El of Krypton."

"What, why?"

"Kal-El is severely injured. I have placed him in a regenerative stasis pod, but I have had trouble keeping him calm lately."

Lois was shocked, "What are you talking about? Clark's alive? But we buried him?"

"I retrieved his body after the funeral. His vitals were lowered to appear dead by human standards, but he was barely alive. If he keeps fighting me and doesn't remain in the regenerative fluid for at least 3 more months, he will not survive."

"What do you need from me?" Lois asked, holding onto Martha's hand.

"You must come with me to the Fortress and talk to him. He must be calm, and right now, something happened which caused him to resist my efforts."

Lois breathed, "Could he have heard from that far away that I am pregnant, or hear the extra heartbeat?"

The AI paused, considering this development. He now understood the change in Kal-El's behavior. "Yes, that explains it. In this case, you should definitely come to the Fortress. Our medical equipment should give you a full exam, to check for any irregularities, due to the child being part Kryptonian, and part Human."

Lois looked at Martha, who was still in shock, in the news that the Son that she buried was alive. Martha came out of it, and took Lois into her arms, "Go, take care of Clark. Make sure that he comes back to us."

Lois nodded, "How do we explain to the world, how Clark Kent is not dead, without revealing that he is superman?"

Martha sighed, "I will think on it, but don't you worry about this yet. The only thing that you need to worry about is taking care of Clark, yourself, and my grandchild."

"If I am not back by Sunday, call Perry, and tell him…" Lois paused thinking, "Tell him that I'm sick and am not up to flying back yet."

Martha nodded, "You got it, although, from what I have heard of him, he may have figured out the whole secret identity thing and had just kept it to himself these last few years."

Lois smiled, "You may be right, but if he's pretending not to know, let's pretend that he doesn't know."

* * *

Lois had once been inside a Kryptonian ship before, and when she was brought into one by the AI, she was struck by how Alien it was. When she was with Clark, even though he was biologically of another world, his actions and thoughts were more human than Kryptonian due to his upbringing.

She was escorted into a room, where there were large tubes of blue liquid. Inside the tubes she could see bubbles floating up, and the light from the tubes reflected off the silver walls. In the tube in the middle she saw, "Clark!" Lois cried as she ran up and put her hands on the tube. "I'm here Clark."

She looked into the thick blue liquid, and saw Clark, who had been struggling to escape his bonds, relax. "You are hurt Clark, and you need to be calm. You need time to heal, and then you will be able to come home to me." She saw Clark's eyes open and look at her. She held up her hand, "Martha gave me the ring that you ordered for me. My answer is yes, Clark, I will marry you. But you need to give your injuries time to heal first."

Lois spent the next few hours sitting next to Clark's healing chamber, and talking to him. The AI was pleased that Clark's body was calmer, and his vitals were improving. "Ms Lane. My programing was designed to ensure the health of the house of El. This now includes you and your unborn child. Would you consent to a full body scan to allow our computers to analyze the status of your pregnancy and your overall health?"

Lois nodded, "You hear that Clark, I'm just going to get a checkup from the Kryptonian side. I'll be right here if you need me."

Clark, who had become mostly conscious in the blue healing liquid, nodded. He watched Lois go to the other side of the room, and step on a glowing platform.

Lois was curious, and a little apprehensive, on getting an option on her pregnancy from a Kryptonian computer. "How's it look doc?" Lois said, half joking.

"You are in overall good health. Your body will need additional nutrition during your pregnancy, has your doctor told you what you would need for a normal human pregnancy?"

"Yes," Lois answered, and explained what the doctor had told her that morning. "What should I add with this child being part Kryptonian?"

"I don't see any difference in the requirements of a developing fetus. This child's combination of human and kryptonian physiology is such that she has the strengths of a kryptonian, and none of their weakness. I would advise you to avoid Kryptonite of any kind, but I don't think that would be a problem."

Lois caught one of the words, "She? We're having a girl?"

"Yes, your unborn child is female."

Lois smiled, "Can I see Clark again?"

"Yes, of course."

Lois followed he AI back to the chamber that Clark was in. "Clark?" Clark's eyes opened, and she smiled at him. "Congratulations, we are going to have a healthy baby girl."

The AI came up, "I have to return you to Kansas now, Ms Lane. The amount of power being used to allow you to stay here risks us being detected by your world's military."

Lois nodded, "Can I come back to visit?"

The AI nodded, "A few hours once a week will be allowable."

"You hear that Clark? I will come and visit you once a week. I need you to be good and listen to the good doctor here. You have to stay in there for three more months, and then you can come home, in plenty of time for you to be there for my last trimester. I will make sure that you have a life to go back to."

She watched as Clark put his hand up against the glass of the healing tank. She put her hand up against his, "I love you, and I will marry you."

TBC…


	5. Chapter 4 - Back from the Dead

Chapter 4: Back from the Dead

The next few months went by at a glacial pace as far as Clark was concerned. He was stuck in a bubble. Able to hear and see what was going on in the world, but unable to do anything about it.

The AI brought Lois and his mother to him for a few hours a week, but otherwise he was alone. Lois suggested that the AI provide him with reading material, and was able to establish an internet connection. He read the daily planet, and every other newspaper from cover to cover, but it still wasn't enough to keep his busy mind from going insane.

When he felt himself slipping into chaos, he would close his eyes, and focus on the heartbeat of those that he loved most, his mother, Lois and their unborn daughter. He could hear his daughter's heartbeat increase as it went from 8 weeks to 12 weeks to 16 weeks. He smiled to himself thinking of how strong his little girl was, and how great she would be for this world.

Lois was so thrilled that Clark was alive, and getting better, but she was still worried. Clark's life was saved, but unless she came up with a good cover story, would have to choose between just being Superman, and not Clark Kent and the world finding out the Clark Kent was Superman.

She had been working hard but had not been able to find a way to explain how Clark had not died. The obituary was easily explained away, that he was undercover, and they had to fake his death. What wasn't easily faked was all of the friends and family who had seen Clark Kent in his casket, and then buried in the family plot.

She was out of options. Clark would be coming out of his healing bath in a few weeks, and she wanted to be able to bring him back to his life when that happened. With a sigh, she pushed into Perry's office.

Perry was on the phone, when he saw Lois, who was looking lovely as her baby bump became more prevalent as she was halfway through her second trimester. She had a look on her face that she was doing something that she was afraid of, but that she was determined to face her fears. "Let me call you back," Perry said to his Executive Editor, who was working at their office in Gotham.

Lois sat down, and after turning on the white noise machine, and taking a deep breath, she began, "Perry, I have something to tell you, but it can't leave this room. It can't be in the newspaper, in ANY story, you can't even tell Alice."

Perry leaned forward, intrigued, "My, this is big."

"Clark is alive."

Perry listened to the whole story. Lois laid it all out on the table, about how Clark was found by his parents in a spaceship, about how Clark had been raised by Martha and Jonathan Kent, and about how he had discovered his Kryptonian Heritage, and doned the persona of 'Superman' (a name that she gave him) in order to protect his identity of Clark Kent and his human loved ones.

When she got to the end about how he had not been dead as they believed, and was saved by his Kryptonian Artificial Intelligence robot he leaned back in his chair, "Wow. I knew part of it. That Clark was Superman."

"You did? Since when?"

He smiled, "Since I first hired him. You think that a pair of glasses would fool Perry White? I saw you kissing him after that World Engine destroyed half of metropolis, and then he showed up in glasses as a string reporter and you started dating him."

She was confused, "You had the biggest story in the world under your nose. Why didn't you expose him?"

"He saved all of us. He was doing good work as a reporter, even though he often didn't do the stories that I assigned him. If I ran a story that exposed him as Superman, it would sell papers for a few days, and ruin his life for all time. Plus, I like the kid." He shifted gears, "I take it you told me all that because you need help finding a good cover story about how Clark Kent is alive without exposing his other identity."

Lois nodded, tears coming to her eyes. "Yes. If I can't figure this out, if his secret is outed, then… I don't know, but our lives, including the life of our daughter, will never be the same."

TBC…


	6. Chapter 5: Coming Home

Chapter 5: Coming Home

It was about 10am when Lois left her OBGYN's office having gotten a clean bill of health at her 20th week. She even had a ultrasound picture to show Clark and Martha. The AI robot was coming to get her and Martha to be with Clark as the AI did his final check up to see if Clark was okay to be released from the rejuvenation pod.

After her checkup she went to the office to file her latest story to the copy editor. She wasn't doing her usual calibration of stories. Perry had assigned her to the city desk following the politicians and had even stooped so low to report on the Regional Dog Show. In the end she thought that it was better that she was sticking to low key safe stories. For one thing, she would never do anything that put her child into danger. For another, with so much of her attention focused on Clark, she didn't have the mental energy for any dangerous stories.

Perry saw her at her desk, and waved her towards his office, "Lane, a word."

She hoped that Perry had some good news. He had set up some backstory to help explain Clark's return after him having a funeral. First he had Martha had explained to the people in Smallville that Clark hadn't died, but had been severely injured and that his life was still in danger, so they had faked his death to protect him. Perry had Lois say the same to the reporters that were closest to them.

People seemed upset that they had been lied to, but told Lois and Martha that they were happy that Clark was recovering.

Lois entered Perry's office, "What's up Chief?"

"Just checking in on you. How was the appointment?"

"Just fine. I'm fine and my daughter is looking heathy at 20 weeks."

Perry smiled, "Good. I know that it hasn't been easy for you, but I am glad that you have been able to slow down and take care of yourself. When is Clark getting out of the hospital?"

Lois smiled, as that was the story that they circulated. "Martha and I are going there today. If the doctor decides that he is sufficiently healed, they will let him go home. It will still be a few weeks at least until he can come into work."

Perry nodded, "Let me know. And if you need any time at all, it's yours."

By 3pm Lois had made it to the Kent Farm and the AI machine had arrived to bring them to Clark in the fortress of solitude. And if the AI decided that Clark was well enough, he would be going back to the farm with them.

Lois and Martha stood next to Clark's rejuvenation tube, waiting as the AI made his final check on Clark's status. "Well?" Lois asked, "Is he okay?"

The AI paused for a moment, "It appears that he has healed well enough to be able to leave the tank, although he needs to take some time before he does anything too strenuous."

Lois turned to Clark, "You hear that, no catching cars or anything for a while, and I promise not to do anything that will put me in danger."

Clark smiled, nodding. Then pointed up, indicated that he was ready to get out. Lois watched with anticipation but also nervousness as the AI had the top of the tank open and Clark was pulled out, dripping the pink goo. His hair and his clothes were soaked and sticking to his body, as he was lowered to the floor. Lois and Martha came up to him, wrapping him in the towels that they brought for this reason. "Lois," Clark said, his voice soft and raspy, "Mom, I'm so glad to be out of there. Can we go home?"


End file.
